Wringer with drive and pressure release



Jan. 6, 1970 J. w. BANDT 3,487,664

WRINGER WITH DRIVE AND PRESSURE RELEASE Filed April 17, 196'? 2 Sheets-,Sheet l ATTORNEY Jan. 6, 1970 J. w. BRANE'JT 3,487,664

WRINGER WTH DRIVE AND PRESSURE RELEASE Filed April 1'?, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,487,664 WRINGER WITH DRIVE AND PRESSURE RELEASE James W. Brandt, Erie, Pa., assignor to Lovell Manufacturing Company, Erie, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 631,285 Int. Cl. D06f 45/00 U.S. Cl. 68-253 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wringer as shown in Patent 2,734,372 with an independent instinctive release of the wringer drive obtained by an enclosed, vertically slidable latch member within the wringer head and released by `articulation of the wringer relative to the wringer head.

This invention is intended to increase the safety of the wringer shown in Patent 2,734,372 by the addition of an independent instinctive release of the wringer drive. This is obtained by a vertically slidable latch member in the same wringer head casting.

In the drawing, FIG. l is a side view, partly broken away; FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the interlock of the index pin with the roll drive; FIG. 3 is a top view, partly broken away, of the wringer in the centered position of the wringer frame; and FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the independent instinctive release of the roll drive.

Referring to the drawing, 1 and 2 indicate the upper and lower rolls, 3 the bottom frame having rigidly afxed thereto end frames 4, and 5, 6 the top frame suitably hinged at 7 by a tongue and slot connection to an extension 8a on a bracket 8 xed to the end frame 4, 9 a toggle reset lever pivoted at 10 to the top bar and at 11 to a toggle link 12 pivoted at 13 on the end frame 5, and 14 a latch pivoted at 15 on the end frame 5 and having a catch 16 cooperating with the pivot 11 to hold the toggle links 9 and 12 in the pressure applying position illustrated in FIG. 1. IUpon pivoting the latch 14 in a clockwise direction, the catch 16 is moved clear of the pivot pin 11 and a cam surface 17 cooperates with the pin to push the toggle links past dead center in case, due to manufacturing tolerances, the toggle links in the pressure applying position are over center. Upon actuation of the latch 14, the toggle links 9 and 12 swing endwise outwardly and upwardly away from the end frame elevating the top frame 6 and releasing the pressure on the rolls. The parts so far described are or may be of common construction and have been sufciently identified to define a wringer known in the trade as the toggle release type.

The wringer reversing drive is contained within a wringer head having a housing 18 with a depending sleeve 19 joumaled on a wringer post 20. The wringer post has xed thereto an index collar 21 with suitably spaced index holes 22 therein cooperating with 'a domeshaped pin 23 in the lower end of the sleeve to yieldably locate or index the wringer head in the selected index position. The holes 22 also cooperate with an index pin 24 of substantially smaller diameter than the index holes 22 to positively index the wringer head in the selected index position. The yielding index provided by the domeshaped pin is always effective while, as hereinafter described, the positive index provided by the pin 24 is eiective only while the rolls are being driven.

As is customary, the wringer post has journaled therein a vertical drive shaft 25 having a drive tong-ue 26 at its upper end received in a drive slot 27 in a shaft 28 journaled at 29 and 30 in the top and bottom walls of the wringer head. While the washing machine is operating, the shafts 25 and 28 are continuously driven. At the cen- Patented Jan. 6, 1970 ice ter of the shaft 28 is keyed a clutch member 31 which is moved up or down from the neutral position illustrated by an eccentric pin 32 fixed to a horizontal control shaft 33 turned by a clutch control handle 34. In either the upper or lower positions of the clutch 31, the clutch engages one or the other of bevel gears 35, 35a loose on the shaft 28 and continuously meshing with a bevel gear 36 journaled in a bearing 37 and driving the lower roll 2 through a coupling 38 having one end seated in a socket 39 in the gear 36 and the other end engaging the shaft 40 for the lower roll 2. Both ends of the coupling 38 have tiltable but not rotatable engagement with the socket 39 and the shaft 40, respectively, so that misalignment of the shaft 40 with the gear 36 is accommodated. This is a common type of coupling.

Since the gearing is of the type biased to neutral, the clutch control handle is yieldably latched in the driving and neutral positions by a latch member 41 keyed to the control shaft 33 having a latch pin 42 cooperating with detent notches 43, 44 and 45 in a latch plate 46 slidably mounted in guideways 47 in the housing 18 and biased upward by a coil spring 48 to hold the selected detent notch in engagement with the pin 42. In FIG. 4, the gear drive is in neutral and the pin 42 engages shallow notch 45. In either driving position the pin 42 engages one of the deeper notches 43 or 44. In the driving position, the pin 42 is in one of the positions indicated by dotted lines 42a and 42b and a flange 49 is in the position indicated by dotted line 49a and engages ears 50 on a triangular lever 51 pivoted at 52 on the wringer head. The upper end 53 of the lever extends between flanges 54 xed to extension 8a associated with the wringer so that in the driving position whenever the anges move either to the right or left from the position shown in FIG. 4, the lever 51 rocks about its pivot and acts on the flange 49 to depress the latch plate 46 until the detent notch clears or at least reduces its holding action on the pin 42 sufficiently to allow the gear drive to return to the neutral or off position under its inherent bias. Once the drive is in neutral, the rolls are stopped and the panic condition is removed. The structure for stopping the rolls is independent.

In addition to the instinctive release for the roll drive, there is also an interlock between the roll drive and the index pin 24 which prevents shifting to driving position unless the index pin registers with one of the holes 22 in the index collar 21. When the gearing is in the neutral position, the index pin 24 is so elevated by the spring 55 that it does not hold the wringer in the index position. The button 23 offers only slight restraint to movement of the wringer to any desired position. As the handle 34 is turned to the driving position the cam 56 which carries the eccentric pin 32 cooperates with ange 57 on plate 58 and pushes the index pin downward. The cam 56 is xed to shaft 33. The upward force of spring 55 exerts torque through flange 57 and pin 32 tending to return the control shaft 33 to neutral. The downward movement of the index pin is possible only when the index pin is aligned above one of the holes 22. Engagement of the drive is not possible until the index pin enters one of the holes 22 and positively indexes the wringer. Likewise, upon movement of the clutch out of the driving position, the clutch 31 is disengaged from the gears before the index pin 24 is moved out of the associated hole 22. This sequence is important from a safety standpoint since the wringer head should not be movable from an index position except when the drive is in neutral.

In order to provide an instinctive or reex release of the wringer pressure, the wringer frame is articulated to the Winger head so as to pivot thereabout under the instinctive or reflex action of the operator. The arrangement for articulating the wringer frame to the head for bodily pivotalmovement of the wringer relative to the head about a vertical axis comprises a bracket 59 fixed t0 the end frame 4 and having cylindrical side walls or anges 60 telescoped within complementary vertical s1de walls or flanges 61 on the wringer head housing 18. The walls 60 and 61 provide a complete enclosure or shrouding of the wringer head in all articulated positions `of the wringer frame. This prevents what would otherwise be an unsightly gap between the wringer frame and the wringer head and furthermore prevents any blocking of the articulation by material coming between the bracket and the wringer head. The pivotal support for the bracket on the head comprises upper and lower shoulder screws 62, 63 threaded into the wringer head and having the heads thereof received in pivot holes in the top and bottom walls 64 and 65 of the mounting bracket 59. The screw 62 also extends through a pivot hole in the bracket 8 which is likewise lixed to the end frame 4 which has the extension 8a overlapping the top of the wringer head. The wringer frame can be removed from the wringer head by unscrewing the bottom screw 63 and then lifting the wringer frame olf the head by an upward and outward motion at the overhung end of the frame.

The linkage for actuating the pressure release by articulation of the wringer frame on the pivots `62, 63 comprises a cam 66 pivoted at 67 on the bracket extension 8a and having shoulders 68 and 69 on opposite sides of the pivot 67 cooperating with pins 70 and 71 on a bracket 72 fixed to the top of the wringer head. The pins 70 and 71 project through slots 73 and 74 in the bracket extension 8a. A tension spring 75 fastened between the mounting bracket 59 and the cam urges the cam in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 3, holding the shoulders 68 and 69 against the pins 70 and 71 and centering the cam on the bracket. In this position, a shoulder 76 on the cam engages a flange 77 on the end of a slide link 78 pivoted to the latch 14 No matter which direction the wringer frame is articulated relative to the wringer head, the cam 66 is turned in a clockwise direction and pushes the slide link to the right, as viewed in FIG 1, moving the catch 16 clear of the pivot pin 11 and releasing the toggle 9, 12 to release the wringing pressure. To release the pressure as described above, it is necessary that the wringer frame -be forcibly articulated relative to the head. Whenever the articulating force is released, the tension spring 75 returns the wringer frame to the centered position. Likewise a tension spring 79 urges the link 78 back to the position illustrated in FIG. 3. The spring 75 is really a centering spring which centers the frame on the wringer head while the spring 79 is primarily t0 return or hold the latch 14 in the latching position.

As the wringer frame is articulated relative to the head, it is obvious that the bracket extension 8a swings over the top of the head. It is desirable that the mechanism on top of the head remain enclosed in any articulated position of the wringer frame. This is accomplished by a horseshoe-shaped shroud 80 having upstanding ears 81 fastened to the side of the bracket extension 8a so it is structurally part of the extension and having depending side and end walls 82 which extend from the bracket extension 8a down to the top of the wringer head and enclose the parts mounted on top of the wringer head. The anges 54 are conveniently part of the shroud 80. The shroud 80 also serves to block unlocking of the index whenever the wringer frame is articulated or bodily pivoted from its center position. This blocking of the index lock is accomplished by the channel between flanges 54 on the under side of the shroud 80 which in the centered position is aligned with a tab 84 on the upper end of the plate 58. The lower end of plate 58 is guided between cam 56 and latch member 41 and has a window 85 through which the control shaft 33 extends. The upper end of plate 58 slidably projects through slot 86 in the housing 18. The positive index pin 24 is biased upward by the spring so that whenever the clutch shift handle 34 is in the neutral position, the plate 58 is urged upward. However, the plate 58 cannot move upward unless the wringer frame is in the center position where the tab 84 can enter between the flanges 54 as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2. Upon articulation of the wringer frame from the center position, the tab 84 is kept from moving upward by flanges 54. Whenever the wringer frame is in its center position and the gears are in the neutral position, the tab 84 is elevated into the recess between the anges 54 and the wringer frame is positively locked relative to the wringer head. In this position, the wringer frame and head can be moved to a succeeding index position and the force applied to the wringer frame cannot actuate the pressure release. However, if the operator should wish to release the pressure when the wringer is in this condition, a knob 87 fastened to the link 78 and extending out the left-hand end of the top frame can be pushed inward thereby producing the same movement of the pressure release latch 14 as heretofore explained in connection with the instinctive release.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a wringer of the type having a vertical wringer post, a wringer head having a housing journaled on the post, a vertical drive shaft journaled in the housing, reversing gearing in the housing driven by the shaft and biased from driving toward neutral position, a wringer, means for mounting the lwringer on the wringer head for bodily pivotal movement relative to the Iwringer head about a vertical axis, said wringer having a part bodily movable with the wringer about said axis and over the top of the housing, a horizontal control shaft for the gearing journaled in the housing beneath said part and having a control outside the housing, the improvement for releasably holding the gearing in driving position which comprises latch means rotatable with the control shaft, a latch plate surrounding and vertically movable relative to the control shaft within the housing and biased upward into engagement with the latch means, lever means pivoted on the housing and having a part within the housing cooperating with said latch plate and having a part extending outside the housing into cooperative relation with said part of the wringer, an operative connection between said lever means and said latch plate for moving said latch plate downward out of engagement with said latch means upon bodily pivotal movement of the wringer.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,665,263 4/1928 Hirschy et al. 2,291,916 8/ 1942 Parish 68-249 X 2,595,147 4/1952 Kauffman g 68-249 X 2,639,602 5/ 1953 Gabrielson 68-249 X FOREIGN PATENTS 537,362 6/ 1941 Great Britain. 683,789 1271952 Great Britain.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner L. G. MACHLIN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 192-126 

